Why We Ended Up Here
by CriminalOutsider'sGirl14
Summary: The accident ripped their family apart, sending two brothers foster home to foster home, and a third desperate to get them back. (Full summary inside) (Dally and Johnny are alive)
1. Chapter 1

**Why We Ended Up Here**

 **Full summary: After Mr. and Mrs. Curtis die in a tragic car accident, the state doesn't see almost nineteen year old Darry as a fit guardian and takes away his two younger brothers, ages twelve and fifteen, an act that turns the gang's world upside down, and puts the boys in a situation they never thought they would be in.**

 **A/N: Before you read, this is not a fic where Ponyboy dies. Okay? Those of you who can't read death fics, it's okay, this isn't one.**

 **Now read on and enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 1: A Poker Game and a Knock on the Front Door**

 **Ponyboy's POV**

My hands shake at my side, my body growing weaker with every moment. As everything starts to get darker I wonder if this is how this ends, after everything that's happened. _Is this really how I'm going to die?_ Pushing aside the burning pain, I think back to my brothers, and how much I'm going to miss them.

 _I'm so sorry, guys._

As the world starts to slip from my grasp, I think back on my life, on where things went wrong, and I find myself remembering the first night my world started to implode. Memories flash in front of my eyes, and I think back to a time when the gang was more innocent, when there was still hope. Before the day my parents died.

 **~ Thursday, February 16th, 1961 ~**

Soda reached around his mother, who was trying to make a chocolate came, sticking a finger into the chocolate cake batter, popping the sweet batter into his mouth.

"Soda!" Mrs. Curtis glared, but she wasn't actually mad. Soda shot her a signature grin and she sighed.

"If you keep eating this batter we won't have a cake to cook!"

Soda shrugged nonchalantly. "The batter tastes just fine," he drawled, "We should just make batter instead of a cake."

"I second that motion!" Two-Bit piped up from the couch, taking his attention of the poker game long enough for Steve to slip a card out of his sleeve.

"Full house, Two-Bit. Beat that," Steve challenged, grinning as he laid his cards out along the table.

Two-Bit cussed under his breath, only to receive a silent look from Mrs. Curtis. As much as she loved the gang, their language was something she tried to keep Ponyboy and Sodapop from learning. If nothing else, keep it at bay until they were teenagers. She didn't like the idea of them cussing like an eighteen year old when they were only eight and ten.

"Sorry," Two-Bit mumbled truthfully. He laid his cards down, having obviously lost, before he told Steve to deal again.

"Can Johnny and I play?" Ponyboy asked. Steve glared at the youngest gang member.

"No. This isn't little kid stuff. Plus, you don't know how to play."

"Do too," Ponyboy argued, "Dally taught me and Johnny last week."

"Yeah, let him play," Two-Bit agreed when he opened up the bathroom door and returned to the living room, feeling sorry for the youngest gang member.

Ponyboy happily grabbed the cards Steve begrudgingly began to deal out for him. After a few minutes Steve set down his cards, calling out proudly that he had four jacks. He was grinning widely, confident he won, until Ponyboy laid down his cards.

"That's a... flush, right?"

Ponyboy had an eight of hearts, nine of hearts, ten of hearts, a jack of hearts, and a queen of hearts, to Steve's utter disappointment.

"Beginners luck, kid," Two-Bit muttered, laughing. Before Steve had a chance to yell at Ponyboy, Two-Bit sent him a '"don't mess with me" look. Steve shut his mouth, mumbling that he wanted a smoke.

"Good job, Ponyboy," Johnny said quietly. Ponyboy smiled, a slight reddening creeping over the tips of his ears.

"Thanks, Johnnycake."

 **~ Saturday, January 1st, 1966 ~**

"Why can't I be in charge for once?" Sodapop complained. Darry rolled his eyes before his mom even had a chance to respond.

"Because, I'm older," Darry replied, sounding much younger than almost nineteen.

"Boys, quit arguing. No abusing your power, Darry. But Soda, listen to Darry. He is older and is in charge."

Fifteen year old Soda rolled his eyes, but was quickly distracted with the idea of cooking dinner.

"Can I help, Soda?" Ponyboy asked quietly, appearing suddenly in the kitchen behind his older brother.

"Sure. Grab the blue food coloring for me, alright? You can help me make the mashed potatoes."

Ponyboy stood on his tip toes, mentally curing his shortness and the fact that his mother kept the food coloring on the top shelf.

Just as his fingers closed around the highly saught-after food coloring, he felt his mother's arms wrap around him.

"I love you, Ponyboy," Mrs. Curtis said softly. Mr. Curtis ruffled his middle son's hair before saying goodbye to his other two sons.

"Love you, boys, be good!"

"We will, mom," Darry reassured his mother.

 **OoOoOoO**

After a night of two action movies, a full plate of blue mashed potatoes, and several rounds of poker, Ponyboy and Soda were conked out on the couch, their limbs awkwardly thrown about the couch, but they looked comfortable enough. The TV was on low, as Darry fought his exhaustion with a late-night rerun.

When a hard knock came at the door, Darry's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, his mind foggy. His emotions went from confused to worried when he realized that the gang never knocked and it was way past midnight.

Two police officers dressed in uniform stood at his door, their expressions unreadable but hard. Sighing, Darry figured Dallas must have gotten caught lifting something. Again.

"Are you Darrel Curtis Jr.?" One of the officers asked. Darry nodded.

"That's me. Is this about Dallas Winston?"

"No, not this time. This is about your parents."

Darry felt his heart sunk to the pit of his stomach.

"Darry?" Soda mumbled sleeping, rubbing his eyes as he sat up on the couch, Ponyboy following suit.

"What happened, officers?"

"Your parents were in a car accident. There were no survivors."

Darry had to grab onto the door jam to keep from falling over. Behind him, he heard Ponyboy let out a heart-wrenching sob.

"I am very sorry for your losses. We have to ask you to come identify the bodies sometime soon down at the morgue."

Darry gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to speak. He fought back his tears, trying to stay strong for his brothers, who had each other in a tear-filled death grip on the couch. They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it.

Darry shut the door with a shaking hand, turning to his two younger brothers. He didn't know what he could say to make it better, so he didn't say anything. Instead of speaking, he wrapped both of his brothers in a hug as they sobbed. Darry felt his heart shatter at the sound of their world imploding.

 _How could this have happened? And why was it not the only earth-shattering new the Curtis brothers would receive that week?_

 **A/N: Review for your choice of a cookie!**

 **Stay Gold,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


	2. Chapter 2

**Why We Ended Up Here**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsider. *sigh* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment.**

 **Candymouse22: I knew people would feel that way, and I have a few reviewers who would leave the minute they read that, so I made sure everyone knew so they wouldn't stop reading. I'm honestly not sure yet about the foster homes. We'll see what I decide. What do you think should happen? Thank you so much for taking the time to review!**

 **FrankElza: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed. :)**

 **HappierThanMost: I'm glad that you enjoyed that little scene. Thank you so much for reviewing.**

 **Teeloganroryflan: Thank you so much! I love writing a good Ponyboy angst lol.**

 **Guest: It's not Dally-centric, but he makes his appearances.**

 **Chapter 2: Another Knock At The Door**

 **~ Sunday, January 2, 1966 ~**

Sometime early in the morning the brothers must have fallen asleep, because one by one they woke up, stiff and sore from sleeping awkwardly on their too-small couch. But none of them wanted to move.

Darry was the first to break apart from their huddle, his back too sore to remain in the same position any longer. He stood up slowly, his back popping.

An all too familiar sound broke the silence of the house with a hard knock. Darry fought back the feeling of his heart sinking into his throat when he opened the door to reveal a lady who looked to be about fifty, dressed professionally and holding a clipboard.

"Are you... Mr. Darrel Curtis Jr.?"

"Yes, ma'am," Darry responded, respectfully, his heart pounding.

"I'm with Child Protective Services. I'm here about your brothers."

Darry's voice instantly hardened. "What about them?"

"They're orphans, Darrel, wards of the state. I have to surrender them to foster care," she explained,her voice lacking even an ounce of sympathy. "Unless... someone took custody of them. A family member or trusted friend, perhaps?"

Darry took a glance at his younger brothers, tear tracks still stained on their faces. He thought of college, of his dream of getting out of Tulsa, out of this life. But then he thought of his parents, and what they would want him to do. He couldn't let what was left of his family get torn apart; he wouldn't dishonor his parents' memory like that.

"I... I'll take custody of them," Darry proclaimed, his voice firm.

The lady looked taken aback. "Very well then, Darrel. You may apply for custody, but the courts will have the final say in the matter. Good luck." She shoved a few papers at him, her face hard. Darry gave her a small, hard smirk.

"Have a wonderful afternoon, ma'am."

Darry watched her leave with a defiant glare, his eyes resting on her shiny new, orange, Mini Cooper. With a sigh, he searched for a pen to sign the papers to give away his future for his brothers.

 **~ Friday, January 7, 1966 ~**

The sleeves of Soda's old suit fell past Ponyboy's fingertips, making him feel even smaller. He stood in the mirror, every ounce of him wanting to rewind just a few days, to the day before everything went down hill. Or maybe he could even crawl back into bed and pretend everything wasn't happening. But Darry's voice calling for him to hurry up brought him back to reality, sending him trudging towards the truck, his heart weighing heavily in the pit of his stomach.

The three piled into Darry's truck. Sodapop absentmindedly threw an arm around Ponyboy, choking back his own tears.

Darry started the car numbly, hot tears burning in the back of his eyes, threatening to spill over, but he refused to let them fall. He needed to be strong for his brothers. He needed to be in control.

The funeral passed in one messy, painful blur of shaking hands with old friends of his parents, making fake, painful small talk with them, and watching Soda and Ponyboy trying to, in vain, comfort each other. The gang showed up, dressed in the best clothes they could scrounge up. Johnny immediately went to where Ponyboy sat, trying to comfort the crying kid, while Steve did the same, trying to comfort Sodapop. Dallas wore a hard expression, but Darry could see how much his parent's death was killing him. Darry's parents had been like Dally's parents.

When Two-Bit showed up, right behind Dallas and Johnny, he was sober at least, but the minute the funeral was over he was at Bucks with Steve and Dallas, drowning his sorrows with a six pack. His grey eyes were stormy, humorless.

After people began sitting down to listen the pastor preach his message, Darry stood off to the side, leaning again a wall, too anxious to sit. He shoved his fists into his pockets to keep from tapping his fingers against his pants and stared at his parents caskets with a hard glare, trying to keep from crying. He tried to turn his mind off from thinking back to how his beautiful mother and strong father looked when he identified their bodies at the morgue. It was an image he would never forget.

Emotionally drained after the funeral, Darry led his two exhausted brothers back to the truck, the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was strong, but he wasn't sure if he could handle this. He glanced over at his two little brother's, knowing he had to be there for them. Be strong for them.

He knew he had to keep his family together. That's why when a social worker knocked on his door the next day, Darry felt his heart sink straight down to his feet.

 **A/N: Happy Easter everyone! Sorry this took me so long. It's a little shorter than I would like, but I hope it'll do till next time. Please review! :)**

 **Stay Gold kiddos,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Why We Ended Up Here**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsider. *sigh* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment.**

 **Candymouse22: I hope you still enjoy it. Thank you so much for the review!**

 **FrankElza: Of course! Thank you for taking the time to leave another review, I appreciate it. :)**

 **Amanda (Guest): That's totally okay! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I've been wondering where you were, I missed you.**

 **HappierThanMost: Right! Thank you so much. :)**

 **Moonlighttrail: I appreciate the criticism. I honestly jumped ahead because I've written story like that and I didn't want to be repetitive. But maybe (I'm thinking about it) I'll add flashbacks about the days before the boys were taken away. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. I hope you continue to enjoy, despite the skip ahead.**

 **Chapter 3: Foster Care  
**

 **~ Saturday, January 8, 1966 ~**

"Hello, Darrel. May I come in?" The social worker's perfect white teeth were spread into a plastered-on, way-too-perky smile that made Darry instantly uncomfortable.

"Uh-, Yeah, sure," Darry stuttered, opening the door wide enough for their social worker, Mrs. Dunham, to enter.

 _Click, click._

Her heels loudly signaled her arrival, and then she was standing inside of the Curtis home, a distasteful look flashing across her face before she returned her face to a neutral expression.

"The courts reviewed your paperwork. I'm here to take Ponyboy and Sodapop into state custody."

Her words felt like a bucket of ice dumped over Darry, chilling the whole room.

"But... You can't," Darry heard Ponyboy yell, his voice shaking.

"I thought I was getting custody of them. I did everything that you asked me to do."

"And our office took that into consideration, but you're only nineteen years old, Darrel. You have no permanent job, no degree, and don't even live here. It has been decided that the best place for your brothers is in foster care. Now, have them pack their bags. I'll be waiting right here, so don't do anything stupid. We can do this the easy way-" Mrs. Dunham glanced out to her car, where a man stood, looking to be about three hundred pounds of pure muscle, even bigger and more intimidating than Darry. "Or the hard way."

Ponyboy felt his knees grow weak. This was real and terrifying. His brother had lost custody of him and Soda. He felt tears falling down his face, but he was too upset to stop them.

"D-Darry, please, don't let them take us away," Ponyboy begged. He felt about five years old, but he didn't care.

Darry sat down with his two brothers on the edge of Ponyboy's bed he shared with Soda, his heart breaking at how young and scared they both look.

"I need you guys to be strong. I _will_ get you guys back. But until then, you guys need to stick together and look out for each other, okay? But I will get you guys back. Never forget that."

Tears were streaming down his face, but Ponyboy nodded. Sodapop took a hard swallow.

"I'll look out for him, Darry," Sodapop reassured him.

Darry nodded silently. "Pack. Take anything you think you'll need. Clothes, tooth brush, anything, but don't take anything too valuable. It might be stolen. If it's something you can keep in a pocket, away from other boys, take it, but if not, leave it for when you come back."

Sodapop jumped up, realizing if he didn't hurry up the social worker would make him leave without some of his stuff he needed. He helped Ponyboy pack his suitcase, fearing that in Ponyboy's state he would forget some of the things he needed, like a toothbrush. Sodapop packed the essentials, but he also packed the five new books Ponyboy had gotten for Christmas, tucking away a picture in one of them, hiding another picture in his own suitcase. One of the photographs was a picture his mom had snapped of the gang laughing, muddy, and carefree after a game of football. The other one was taken Christmas Day, of the five Curtis family members. It was the last picture Sodapop had of his parents.

"Time to go, boys," Mrs. Dunham called, huffing, her voice high-pitched and bitter. Sodapop turned to his older brother, wrapping him in a strong hug.

"I'll take care of, Ponyboy, Dar. I promise," Sodapop whispered fiercely in Darry's ear.

"I know you will, Pepsi-Cola."

Darry let go of Sodapop, before giving Ponyboy a hug, wrapping his arms around his brother's small frame, the shear difference in their size showing how young Ponyboy was. It wasn't fair, his brothers needed him.

"I love you, little colt. I'm gonna get you back."

"Hurry, Darry, please," Ponyboy whispered softly, his voice cracking when he said his brother's name.

"I'll try, kiddo. I promise."

Darry just hoped he could keep his promise.

 **OoOoOoO**

The world whizzed by outside of the car window in blurry bursts, slipping by all too fast and in slow motion all at the same time. Ponyboy couldn't make it out specifically, just let his mind wander as the scenery passed.

"We'll be okay, Ponyboy. We'll be back with Darry before you know it," Sodapop tried to comfort his little brother, but neither one of them believed it. They were scared kids, just trying to convince themselves.

When the boys home finally appeared in Ponyboy's vision, it looked like a prison. Chain linked fences six feet high ominously surrounded an old brick building, cracks littering the worn sidewalk.

He wanted to run, but a hand pushed him forward, towards a place he knew would make his life utterly miserable.

 **A/N: Eh, not my best but I hope you guys liked it. My next chapter might have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday, we'll see. Please review!**

 **Stay Gold kiddos,  
**

 **~ Alee XxX**


	4. Chapter 4

**Why We Ended Up Here**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. *sighs* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment purposes.**

 **Candymouse22: Why? Because it's fun, that's why lol. And honestly same about the school thing. And maybe they will, maybe they won't... ;D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **FrankElza: Thank you so much for taking the time to review. :) Here is the next chapter!**

 **Amanda (Guest): Ha ha, I'm sorry! Thank you so much for taking the time to review.**

 **Teeloganroryflan: Thank you!**

 **Moontrail: I appreciate the criticism. I honestly jumped ahead because I've written a story like that and I didn't want to be repetitive. But maybe (I'm thinking about it) I'll add flashbacks about the days before the boys were taken away. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. I hope you continue to enjoy, despite the skip ahead. Glad you enjoyed the third chapter as well!**

 **HappierThanMost: I'm glad that you enjoyed that part. Thank you so much for the review!**

 **Of books and needles: Right! Poor guys. Thank you so much for your review.**

 **Grayturtle: Thank you so much! And probably, tear jerker a are my favorite lol. I'm glad you think I keep everyone in character. Aww I'm glad you felt the emotion. :) Again, thank you so much for your review.**

 **Chapter 4: Bedrooms and The Mess Hall**

 **~ Saturday, January 8, 1966 ~**

Ponyboy gripped his suitcase tight as he and Soda were ushered into their room. It was a simple yet small room, just a bunk bed and a dresser, but it would have to suffice. As long as Ponyboy wasn't alone, he was okay. Sodapop got to stay with him, and Ponyboy didn't want to leave his side.

When they were called down for dinner, Ponyboy realized he was in trouble. There were about twenty or so other males living in the same Boy's Home as them, every one of them bigger than Ponyboy. He was one of the youngest there, only boys twelve and up lived in that specific Boy's Home, and Ponyboy was extremely small for his age. That made him a real easy target.

Glancing around, Sodapop decided on sitting off in a corner by themselves, figuring it would be the safest bet for now. They all ate at a long table, reminding Sodapop of the ones at school. As the seats filled up, a muscular Mexican teenager begrudgingly sat next to Soda, mumbling something about "the new kids" under his breath.

Sodapop finished his last bite of a substance that slightly resembled mashed potatoes, he glanced over at his little brother, noticing the auburn haired greaser hadn't taken a single bite of his chicken or mashed potatoes. He had only chopped up the chicken and moved around the mashed potatoes, making it seem like he had at least taken a few bites.

"Eat something, Ponyboy. It ain't that bad," Sodapop tried to reason, giving his brother a small nudge. Ponyboy shrugged, laying down his fork.

"I'm not hungry."

"I know," Sodapop agreed, his own dinner sitting uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach. "But eat something anyways."

After a moment of silence a kid appeared, sitting in a seat across, looking to be about thirteen, with wildly curly blond hair. He looked less dangerous than the others, with a friendly, yet still slightly mischievous smile.

"Hello, boys," he greeted, leaning back in his chair. Sodapop gave his expression a once over, trying to get a read on him. Deeming him safe for the time being, Sodapop relaxed. Slightly.

"You got a name, kid?" Sodapop asked finally.

"My name's Daniel Thomas Crawford. But you can call me Daniel."

"Alright, Daniel. My name is Sodapop, and my brother here is Ponyboy," Sodapop explained, jerking a thumb over at Ponyboy.

Daniel almost spit out his chocolate milk. "Sodapop? Are you pulling my leg?"

Sodapop shook his head wordlessly. Ponyboy stiffened next to him.

"What kind of half crocked hippie names their kids Ponyboy and Sodapop? Where they stoned or something when they named you?"

"Nope," Sodapop explained dryly, having heard over a dozen insults over the years directed at the competence of his parents. "Just very original."

"I'll say," Daniel snorted, shaking his head. "Well, Ponyboy and Sodapop," Steve stood up dramatically, tray in hand, his voice taking on an announcer type façade. "I hope you find your stay here at the Tulsa County Boys Home very pleasant. Remember to all your friends about how great we were."

With that, Daniel left.

 **—**

 _Ponyboy was running. His chest ached and his lungs burnt with every breath, desperately trying to intake oxygen, but he never felt replenished. Everything around him was pitch black and silent, up until the moment he felt himself bump into someone. He slowly looked up, his green eyes locking with Darry's pale blue, his older brother's expression as cold as ever._

 _"Darry? You came back for me!" Ponyboy shouted, relief filling his voice._

 _"Came back for you?" Darry gave a bitter laugh. "I couldn't be happier now that you aren't home. You're nothing but a whiny brat, always have been, and now that you're gone, I get to go back to college and live my life. Free from a spoiled, attention seeking kid like you."_

 _The words sliced through Ponyboy like a thousand knives. "B-But, Darry..."_

 _"No, not Darry," a husky voice corrected him. "You should know what your own father looks like, Ponyboy."_

 _Ponyboy whirled around, coming face to face with both of his parents. "Mom! Dad!"_

 _"As is you're actually happy to see us. Yeah, right. Darry had it right when he sent you to the state. You've always been nothing but an ungrateful, selfish brat, even though we did absolutely everything for you. And how do you repay us, huh, Ponyboy? By killing us!"_

 _"I-I didn't," Ponyboy stuttered, tears falling down his face. "I didn't mean to..."_

Suddenly, someone grabbed Ponyboy from behind and shook him. An animalistic, guttural scream ripped from deep inside his throat as Ponyboy shot up in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat and shaking like a leaf.

"Ponyboy, it's okay. You're okay. Wake up. You're safe," Sodapop reassured the younger boy, his voice soft and reassuring. Ponyboy wrapped his arms around Sodapop, crying.

"T-they're gone, they're really gone," Ponyboy sobbed.

"Sh, I know, baby," Sodapop hushed him, rubbing his back. He felt his own heart give a twinge of grief at hearing about his parents.

"Darry- h-he said he didn't want me. He said I'm an ungrateful brat, and-"

"Hush now, Ponyboy. That ain't the truth. It was just a dream."

Ponyboy paused, taking a calming breath before asking, "Is Darry going to be able to get us back?"

Unable to lie to his little brother, Sodapop responded, "I hope so, kiddo. I really hope so."

 **A/N: I am so sorry this took so long, guys! The night I had dedicated to writing ended up consisting of me writing my sister's ten page term paper, so after that my writing brain was slightly fried lol.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this very late update. Please remember to review! You guys rocked at reviews in the third chapter, thank you so much! Eight reviews, seriously! I was so excited. :3**

 **Stay Gold,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


	5. Chapter 5

**Why We Ended Up Here**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. *sighs* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment purposes.**

 **Candymouse22: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! And I most definitely will! I just wanted to set up a solid basis before I switched to Darry. The next chapter after this one or so should have Darry in it.**

 **FrankElza: Thank you so much for your review. Here is the next chapter. :)**

 **Amanda (Guest): Poor Ponyboy indeed! It is totally okay that your review is short, I appreciate that you took the time to review!**

 **HappierThanMost: I'm glad that you enjoyed! Thank you so much for your support, as always! :)**

 **FebruaryMarch: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad that you have been enjoying the story so far.**

 **Moontrail: I'm glad you enjoyed the nightmare scene! I'm always insecure about those. And I'm glad my Ponyboy is good so far. Thank you so much for your review. It means a lot!**

 **Chapter 5: Candles and Bills**

 **~ Monday, January 10, 1966 ~**

After the ease of Sunday died down, Monday rolled around, responsibility and school in full force. Sodapop and Ponyboy were woken up at six o'clock sharp, ushered down to the breakfast hall, and then tossed reluctantly into separate classrooms.

Ponyboy soon found himself surrounded by around seven other ninth graders. He desperately wished to be back with Sodapop, but he knew it wasn't an option. He needed to grow up and figure out what he was going to do, because Sodapop was going to be around all the time to watch out for him like he was used to. His safety and comfort was gone, leaving a hollow ache in his chest.

Ponyboy sighed softly, sitting down at his assigned seat as attendance was taken. The room was overpoweringly filled with the stench of the candle his teacher, Mrs. Roberts, had lit. He rubbed his nose, mentally cursing the entire boy's home. He hated everything about it, down to the candle, as small as that particular detail seemed to an outsider, it struck his last nerve.

Ponyboy was given a math book that was falling apart at the seams before his teacher instructed the class to open up to page 163. He opened up the book just to find that they were learning radicals, something Ponyboy had aced back in seventh grade at his old school back in Tulsa. He laid his head down on the desk, fighting to keep his heavy eyelids open.

"Ponyboy Curtis, if you think you are above this lesson you can just sit out in the hallway," Mrs. Roberts drawled in a firm, yet shrill voice. "Do you want that?"

"No, ma'am," Ponyboy mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Get your head off your desk and pay attention," Mrs. Roberts reprimanded, returning her attention to the examples on the board.

With a reluctant sigh, Ponyboy ripped of a sheet of lined paper from his state-provided dark red notebook, copying the examples down mechanically.

World History passed with little improvement. The class was covering Germany and the Franks, a topic Ponyboy hadn't learned yet, but the difficulty level of the class remained the same as math. He missed his honors classes, where the homework was sometimes bothersome, but at least he had something to do. He needed something to occupy his mind with. It seemed here that the challenge he loved about school was gone, replaced with an easy but repetitive boredom.

English came and went after a lunch break, as did Biology. After what felt like forever, the class was allowed to escape to an class hour of free time outside. It was outside in the courtyard where he was able to see Sodapop for the first time that day.

"Hey, Ponyboy. How was school?" Sodapop greeted as the two met each other, pasting a smile on his face.

"Boring, but exhausting," Ponyboy responded honestly.

"Yeah, school's always boring though," Sodapop pointed out. "To me, at least."

"Yeah, but they're teaching me the same math I already know," Ponyboy complained.

"Shoot, reckon you'll pass with flying colors then, huh?"

"Guess so. Do you got a smoke?"

"Yeah, but I ain't got a lighter," Sodapop offered up his pack, pulling a cigarette out for himself. He heard footsteps behind him, so he turned around, laying eyes on a familiar character.

"Hello, Daniel," Sodapop greeted in a disinterested voice.

"Can I bum a smoke?" Daniel requested, just as Ponyboy pulled his lighter out of his shoe. Unable to say no, Ponyboy reluctantly held out the pack.

"Thanks, man."

Just as Ponyboy finished his cigarette, one of the workers signaled with a sharp whistle that their outdoor time was over.

Looking back into the Boy's home, Ponyboy felt a heavy weight sink into the pit of his stomach at the thought of being back inside. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take being in here, and it had only been a few days.

 _Darry better figure out something fast,_ Ponyboy thought, swallowing thickly. _Or I don't know what I'll do._

 **~ Tuesday, January 11, 1966 ~**

Darry held his head in his hands as a pile of bills sat on the kitchen table. Each time he attempted to pay the electricity bill, his mind wandered to his brothers. _What were they doing? Were they okay?_ And so on and so forth. The thoughts swirled in his mind, a pit of worry stubbornly refusing to leave his stomach long enough to choke down even a few measly bites of cold tomato soup.

It had been four agonizing days since Darry had last seen his brothers, but it seemed like months. Since they were taken he had hired the family's lawyer to try to get custody. He was working full time at his new roofing job, and he was even looking into getting a second job. He hoped he could show how committed he was to his brother's well-being, but even his lawyer, Adam Cunningham, informed Darry it was going to be a long and painstaking process.

Since the accident the gang seldom made an appearance, except for the occasional run-in from Two-Bit, who briefly informed the older man that most of the gang was spending their time down at Buck's getting drunk, and Darry was welcome to join them if he wanted to take a load off.

"You know I can't, Two-Bit. Even if I wanted to. If anyone caught me, I would never get custody," Darry sighed.

Two-Bit agreed begrudgingly, escaping the awkward atmosphere a few minutes later and had yet to show up again. The loneliness ate at Darry, silence louder than words, two empty bedrooms screaming at him that nothing was okay.

If only he knew how long of a process getting his brothers back was going to be, and if only he knew what kind of rehabilitating results would come from their stay in state custody.

 **A/N: Oh my goodness! I am most certainly not dead and I am so sorry this took me absolutely forever. I offer no excuses besides my teachers love to cram things in at the end of the semester. Sigh. Anyway, please review. I appreciate your guys review so much, they kept me going writing this as I drowned (and continue to drown until May 30) in homework. Love you guys!**

 **Stay Gold,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


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